Seize overloaded vehicles, demands CITU

Karimnagar: CITU district secretary Bandari Shekar demanded the officials concerned to seize the vehicles that are carrying heavy loads of grain bags from agriculture market.

A lorry carrying heavy loads of grain bags from the grain market was over turned at Rekurthi Eye Hospital at Kothawada in Karimnagar on Wednesday. No one injured in the incident.

After learning about the incident, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) members visited the accident spot. After enquiry they found out that the maximum capacity of the lorry that was overturned is 300 bags and rice mill owner and vehicle owner forced the driver to load another 500 bags extra, which led to the accident.

Speaking on the occasion, Bandari Shekar alleged that the rice mill owners, who are purchasing grains from Indira Kranthi Patham (IKP) and Primary Cooperative Societies, are overloading the vehicles more than their capacity, with the cooperation of the lorry owners.

Explaining that the rice mill owners are loading 450 to 500 bags in a lorry with 300 bags capacity and loading 650 to 700 bags in a lorry with 500 bag capacity, he said that this overloading is leading to accidents, claiming the lives of lorry drivers and cleaners.

Shekar alleged that Whenever the hamalis, who are loading grains bags, oppose to load more than the vehicle capacity, complaining that they are facing problems in over loading the vehicles, rice mill owners are threatening the representatives of IKP and primary cooperative societies that they will not send vehicles if they object and do not load as they say. He demanded the Civil Supply officials to take immediate steps for restricting the overloading of vehicles to avoid accidents.